Tulsa King returned on Sunday (Sept. 15), and the most infamous Yellowstone villain of them all returned with it.

Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi’s new nemesis could not be more different from his foe from Season 1. Caolan Waltrip (Ritchie Coster) was a rough-around-the-edges leader of a biker gang. His quick trigger kept him in power until it didn’t (spoilers coming).

Cal Thresher — played by Neal McDonough — is polished and reserved, at least so far. Scroll down to get caught up on Season 1 of Tulsa King and to see what happened during Ep. 1 of Season 2.

How Did Season 1 of Tulsa King End?

Season 1 of Tulsa King ended peacefully after a very dark 20 minutes of violence. Dwight “The General” Manfredi is taken to jail on charges of bribing a federal official after his ATF agent lover Stacy Beale turns over the flash drive he gave her with $1 million on it to keep her job.

That was a bummer, because the new Manfredi crew looked to be on a path to prosperity. Dwight’s daughter Tina had moved to town with her family, and he’d just opened a new casino. He also disposed of Waltrip and the Black Macadam biker gang.

This scene was gruesome. Waltrip’s crew tried to sneak attack Manfredi’s crew, but they were ready for him. Gunfire found the bikers, and not Dwight, Mitch, Bodhi or anyone else fans were rooting for. The bow tie was Dwight slamming Waltrip against a piece of taxidermy with long, sharp antlers. The Irishman was wounded, but still alive when Dwight put a gun to his head and … well, you get it.

Tulsa King, Season 2, Episode 1 Recap:

Dwight is in a holding cell to begin Ep. 1 of Season 2, titled “Back in the Saddle.” There he meets a man incarcerated for white collar crime and learns of his energy scam. That gets him thinking, but he’s taken to his court hearing before viewers understand the plan.

A judge sets Manfredi’s bond at $3 million, and — to everyone’s surprise — Dwight’s daughter Tina steps forward to cover the 10 percent needed to get him out of jail. Once free, he palavers with his crew and introduces a plan to secure government grants for an energy project that will act as cover for a hydroponic marijuana farm. That part of the enterprise is going very well.

Tangentially, Dwight’s new love interest Margaret invites him to a very exclusive dinner part at Cal Thresher’s house. The crew — including a new head of security named Big Foot (pro wrestler Cash Flo) – purchase suits and ties and arrive in style, but the visit is cut short when Thresher makes it clear to Dwight that he views him as competition (both are in the legalized marijuana trade) and he’s not afraid of where he comes from. It’s pretty tense.

McDonough’s character is remarkably similar to the one he played during Season 2 of Yellowstone. Malcolm Beck was also an oilman who would stop at nothing to protect his assets. The Beck Brothers came up against John Dutton and — well, we don’t want to spoil it, but neither actor came back for Season 3.

If you loved Malcolm Beck as much as the Dutton Rules podcast crew does, we encourage you to lower expectations. Thus far, McDonough’s chemistry with Stallone is a bit stiffer than what he shared opposite Kevin Costner, but it’s early.

At the end of Ep. 1, Thresher places a call to a cowboy who we’re led to believe leads his own version of the mafia. Trouble is surely coming.

Chickie and the New York crew are at a crossroads and fear an attack from other mafia families, so they begin to take action and kill a former associate of Dwight and Goodie, who joined Team Tulsa to end Season 1. For the most part, that plot line is just simmering. The 40-minute-long Season 2 debut was more focused on getting us up to speed on where we ended last season and what Dwight will focus on this year.

Stacy (Andrea Savage) is understandably worried that Dwight may target her after being freed from jail, so she has him tailed wherever he goes. Those fears materialize when he breaks into her home and surprises after work one night.

Instead of killing her, he promises he’ll never harm her and even shares how much he respects her, believing she was used by the ATF. As he tears up, it’s clear how much their relationship meant to him and the promise to keep her safe feels sincere.

However, Stacy is a bit bewildered by it all.

When Does Season 2 of Tulsa King Resume?

Tulsa King will drop new episodes weekly, meaning Ep. 2 of Season 2 is coming on Sunday, Sept. 22 on Paramount+.